


The Child of the Inquisition

by orphan_account



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Child, Gen, Growing Up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-23
Updated: 2015-05-23
Packaged: 2018-03-31 19:11:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3989461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His parents leave him to his own devices, and so Thorbeorn ends up virtually being raised by the Inquisition as a whole. At first he makes more enemies than friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Child of the Inquisition

Thorbeorn was a silent child. Despite the fact that he was a qunari, his footsteps were nearly silent and he frequently snuck up on the unsuspecting.

He was three when he said his first words. He giggled and made noises before then, but he hadn't said a word to anyone. There were rumours going around that he was going to be a mute, which the majority of Skyhold was fine with. The last thing everyone needed was a screaming child running around when there was work to be done.

He frequented the library to sit silently on a chair and read. Dorian had, of course been against the idea at first. Lacrima had come into the library and read to the child since he was a baby, and since they were both quiet, and Dorian liked Lacrima, he let it slide. But when he was expected to babysit for a snot-nosed, slobbering, filthy little creature that whined and cried and shat itself? It was going too far. Besides, he really didn't think he was the best supervisor.

But Thorbeorn, like his mother, grew on Dorian. He was quiet, and all Dorian ever had to do was help him onto the chair and hand him a book, and he'd sit silently there for hours on end. Dorian forgot about him most of the time until the child would slide off the chair with a small thud and toddle over to Dorian to give him back the book with a small smile of gratitude. Then, just like that, he'd be gone.

Dorian was almost certain the child was just admiring the books for the pictures, so the books he picked out from the library were always the ones with the most maps and diagrams.

On a few occasions Thorbeorn helped him as well. When he'd set a book down and proceed to forget where exactly it was, he would spin around to find a pudgy little finger pointing exactly where he had set his desired book. The little qunari never looked up from his book to do this, mind you.

Everyone seemed to think that since the child couldn't talk, he was stupid. But Dorian could see how clever he was. Whenever he would forget there was a child in his presence and curse, a small head would pop up out of the corner of his eye. He'd look over and the little qunari would be smirking knowingly at him. He'd always scowl and berate the child for listening in when he should be reading.

But on one occasion, Thorbeorn pointed to a rather large book about Orlesian history. It was a rather dense book with no pictures, but Thorby obviously wanted to read it. Dorian almost had to double take, since the book was nearly the size of the child himself.

“Are you certain? That's a rather...advanced book for you. It doesn't have any pictures.” Dorian said uneasily. He had no idea what to do in this situation. It would clearly bore the child, and within a few minutes he'd have to put the book back anyway.

Thorbeorn shot Dorian the most poisonous of glares for someone so young. Dorian's eyebrows furrowed. The child was usually calm, collected, and quiet. He had never seen him look so angry before.

“Alright, fine. But don't complain when it's too difficult for you.” Dorian grumbled, helping Thorbeorn into his chair and getting him his book.

Dorian turned back to the bookshelves, scanning the spines of the books. His thoughts kept shifting to the child behind him. He wasn't about to speak up if he had trouble with any words, after all. Since Lacrima and Iron Bull were goddess-knows-where, it was his responsibility to help the child learn to read. He sighed and turned to the child.

“Do you need help with any of the words?” he asked, as gently as he could manage. Thorbeorn's eyes snapped up to Dorian in annoyance.

“Oh no. I wouldn't want to _burden_ you.” he snapped crossly, slamming the book closed and sliding off the chair. To say that Dorian was appalled was an understatement. To hear such a tiny voice from such a tiny creature for the first time, spouting venom? He wasn't sure if the words, or the fact that the child could have very well learned them from himself horrified the Tevinter more. 

“ _Excuse_ me?” for once that was all the mage had to say. The little qunari stood his ground, placing the big book where he had been seated moments before.

“I can read without pictures! I'm not stupid! I'm smarter than you!” Thorbeorn yelled, causing people to start turning heads.

“Oh?” Dorian asked, folding his arms. This was the exact reason why he never wanted to be in charge of this child. He was starting to get angry.

“Yes! I'm only three and your, like, fifty, and I've learned to keep my mouth shut and you never stop talking!” Thorbeorn shouted.

“Fifty?!...” Dorian nearly recoiled in horror and outrage “Go to your room!” Dorian snapped, pointing towards the stairs. He had no idea where it had come from, his anger made him spew the words every parent has said at least once. Thorbeorn's face fell from a snarl, to a look of surprise, to the most smug look Dorian had ever seen on anyone.

“You. Can't. Make. Me.” the little qunari said with a grin.

He was right, Dorian had no authority over him. He wasn't even officially in charge of him. Lacrima and Iron Bull just let him wander up to the library of his own free will. But Dorian would not be bested by a three-year-old qunari with an attitude.

He picked the child up, holding him away from him like he was a rabid fennec and headed for the bar. Lacrima could be anywhere, and Dorian didn't know if she had the capability of punishing her child. So he went for Iron Bull.

As Dorian marched in, Iron Bull's back was facing him, and so Krem was the first to see. He nodded his head towards the direction of the raging Tevinter and Iron Bull turned, the grin on his face slowly sliding away as he saw the now sobbing child in Dorian's grasp.

Iron Bull stood, and Dorian set the child down as carefully as he could manage given the anger he felt towards the thing. Thorbeorn made a run for his father, grasped onto his pant-leg, and hid from Dorian. Iron Bull's eyes trailed from his child to Dorian, his eyes narrowed and arms folding, taking a stance that demanded answers.

“He was  _sassing_ me... He called me stupid.” Dorian realized how ridiculous he sounded in that moment, like he himself was a child, and he took a deep breath to calm himself down a little. Iron Bull's face was mostly serious, except for the corner of his mouth, which was threatening to twitch into a smile. Still, he managed to look down at his son, who was looking up at his father like an injured hart, with a stern gaze.

“Is that true, Thorby?” he asked. Thorbeorn shook his head, and Dorian glared. Iron Bull knelt in front of the little qunari and stared him down, causing the child to avert his gaze. “Thorbeorn. Are you doing the right thing right now?” his tone was serious enough to stop the Chargers from snickering behind him. Thorbeorn's eyes flickered up at his father's, then back to the ground. He shook his head. “What happened, Thorby?” Iron Bull asked, finally.

Dorian knew the child was contemplating his chances of convincing his father he was still a mute, because he was digging his toe into the ground. His eyes flickered between Dorian and Iron Bull in guilt.

“Uncle Dorian was being mean. He kept telling me I should be reading something with more pictures, because he thinks I'm dumb and I can't read properly-”

“I said no such thing!” Dorian defended, ignoring the title of “Uncle” the child had bestowed on him for no apparent reason.

“But you thought it!”

“What happened next, Thorby?” Iron Bull's voice cut through the bickering.

“Well I told him I didn't want to bother him and he said 'excuuuuusssse me?' and I said that I don't need the pictures and then I said that I was smarter than him because he's fifty and I'm little and I know when to keep my mouth shut.” Thorbeorn took a deep breath after his long sentence. There were snickers from the chargers again.

“Well, he wasn't wrong...” one of them said. Iron Bull glared back at them, although Dorian could see the hint of a smile and he knew they would laugh about Thorbeorn's first words later.

“Thorby, you have to apologize to Dorian.” Iron Bull said, standing and nudging his child forward. Thorbeorn approached Dorian slowly before looking up at him, again with the shot-hart look.

“I'm sorry, Uncle Dorian.” he said. “But you should learn not to disrespec-”

“Thorby.” Iron Bull's voice cut him off and Thorbeorn flinched.

“Sorry.” the little qunari said, this time with finality. Dorian glared down at him, still mad, but he knew he was expected to forgive the little shit.

“Next time we'll deal with our anger more...civilly, yes?” Dorian asked. Thorbeorn nodded guiltily. “Alright. Then I suppose I'll forgive you this time.” Dorian sighed. He gave Iron Bull a look as he left, urging him to watch his child more carefully.

 

The next day Dorian was in his usual spot in the library when he felt a familiar tug on his robes.

“Ah. Back so soon? Lovely.” he said dryly. He felt the tug on his robes again and sighed. “What?” he snapped, looking down, only to be presented with a stack of paper tied together with three pieces of strings like a make-shift book. He blinked in surprise. “What's this?” he asked, taking it and looking at the page that made for a cover. He recognized the writing as Lacrima's.

“'The Dragon and the Mage: By Thorbeorn'...Is this for me?” he asked, looking from the book to the child in surprise. The cover had a picture of a crudely drawn Dorian and a big, even more crudely drawn dragon. Thorby nodded.

Dorian flipped through it. From what he gathered, it was about a dragon who everyone made fun of who made a friend with a mage. The dragon was mean to the mage and then he was lonely and sad until the mage came back and talked to him again. Dorian assumed it was some form of apology. It was thoughtful, especially for a smart-ass three-year-old.

“Alright, fine. You can stay. Just don't cause trouble.” Dorian grumbled.

“What if I help  _you_ cause trouble?” Thorbeorn asked. Dorian gave him a side-long look, a smirk starting to form on his lips. He was small, and more clever than previously anticipated. 

“You could be rather useful...” he said. “Yes, I think that would be a good partnership.” he concluded, handing Thorbeorn a book. 

 


End file.
